The Wish
by liveonpurpose
Summary: The mermaids discover they have the ability to grant wishes. Everything gets a little crazy as they discover just how much they are able to grant. How can they get everything back to normal after all the wishes go wrong? Set three years after graduationH
1. We can wish?

Hello everyone! This story takes place 3 years after season 3 ended. The girls are all 21, and are living together. The usual couples are in effect (Clewis, Zikki, Wella) and I think that's about it! Thanks to all of you awesome people for reading, it really makes my day!

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><p>It was just another summer day on Australia's Gold Coast. Everything was beautiful, and the day would have been totally perfect... if it would only stop raining.<p>

Three girls sat in the apartment they lived in together. They'd been sitting, staring out the window, waiting impatiently for the rain to stop. All three of the girls were mermaids. They were human until they came in contact with water. Therefore, going outside in a rainstorm, even just to run across the street, was completely out of the question.

Bella, Cleo, and Rikki had moved into an apartment together almost three years ago, right after they'd graduated from high school. They were each taking classes at the local university, and only had one more exam before they could officially enjoy their summer break. Summer was wonderful because they didn't have any homework to worry about, but summer was kind of a drag because of all... the... rain...

At least they didn't have to hide from anyone. They didn't have to come up with an excuse for why they couldn't go outside in the rain, or go swimming, or anything like that. They tried to cover for each other whenever they could. It really was a great arrangement. Today found all three of them slumped on the couch staring blankly at the falling rain.

"I was supposed to help out Zane at the cafe today." Rikki grumbled.

"I was supposed to meet Will for a picnic." Bella sighed.

"And I was supposed to go fishing with Lewis." Cleo sank further down into the couch.

"Stupid rain." Rikki muttered under her breath.

All of a sudden the girl's front door flew open, causing the girls to jump with surprise. Lewis and Will popped through the door with huge grins on their faces.

"Hello ladies!" Will said brightly.

"We know the three of you are under house arrest because of the weather." Lewis nodded towards the window.

"So we thought we'd cheer you up!" Will produced several grocery bags hanging from his arms. "We've brought junk food, beer, cocktails, games..." He was silenced by Bella's lips on his.

"Thank you." She smiled up at her boyfriend, feeling more than a little glad to see him.

"Rikki, Zane sends his apologies." Lewis said gently. "But he needed to stay at the cafe."

"I know he did." Rikki tried not to sound too disappointed.

Business at the cafe had been more than a little slow lately. They were still above water, not in immediate danger of having to close, but takings were nowhere near where they should be. Zane had been working really hard trying to drum up business.

"But _we_ have brought a veritable party with us." Will began putting the drinks in the refrigerator and setting out the food. "So we can all wait out this rain in a fun way."

It didn't take long to get the makeshift party started. Will's and Lewis's enthusiastic attitudes were completely contagious and before long Rikki, Cleo, and Bella had completely forgotten about the rain.

A couple hours passed. the group had been playing circle of death, a drinking game with cards. None of them were heavy drinkers, but it was a Friday, and they boys were planning on staying at the girls' apartment anyway, so who cared if they had a bit to drink that night?

"King! All drink!" Lewis held the last card of the game over his head before falling over onto his side.

"Oh Lewis, you could never handle your alcohol." Rikki patted him on the back sympathetically.

"I think I'll get him to bed." Cleo said apologetically. "Will, help?"

Will hooked Lewis under the arms and helped Rikki guide him back towards her room. He reappeared a few minutes later without Cleo or Lewis.

"They're calling it a night." He explained as he sat down on the floor next to Bella.

"Thanks for helping Lewis to bed." Bella said with a grin as she moved to sit practically on Will's lap. "Have I told you how cute you look tonight?" She wrapped her arms around Will's neck and pressed her lips onto his.

"And that's my cue." Rikki stood. She didn't care to be a third wheel that evening. "Goodnight." She said to the couple, but they didn't seem to notice that she was still there. Rikki quietly exited the room and headed for her bedroom. Hopefully Zane would be by soon.

Bella and Will ended their kiss several minutes later.

"Where did everybody go?" Bella looked around the room.

"I don't care." Will wrapped his arms around Bella and rolled onto the floor, pulling her with him. "Gotcha." He said with a laugh.

"Yes sir you do." Bella giggled back.

The power flickered as a boom of thunder shook the apartment.

"I'm so tired of rain." Bella moaned.

"Me too." Will hugged her tightly. "I wish all this rain would just stop."

"That would be seriously great." Bella leaned in for another kiss.

The pair rolled around on the floor together for several minutes longer before being startled by the sound of the front door opening.

"Uh, don't mind me." Zane held one hand over his eyes as he made his way back toward Rikki's room.

"Sorry Zane." Bella called with a giggle. "We should probably head to bed too." She tugged on the collar of Will's shirt playfully.

"Sounds good to me." Will pulled Bella to her feet. "Hey." He listened carefully. "You know what? I think it's stopped raining."

"Really?" Bella said hopefully. She dashed to the living room window and peered outside. "You're right! It's completely clear!"

"And the weatherman said it was supposed to rain for the next three days." Will said skeptically. "They need to learn how to read radar."

"Come on, you." Bella seductively pulled on Will's belt buckle as she led him towards her bedroom.

The next morning came quickly. At least it felt too quick to a few members of their small group. By the time Bella and Will made it to the kitchen the next morning Cleo was already awake and cooking up a big breakfast.

"You're up awfully early." Bella rubbed her eyes as she walked in and collapsed onto a kitchen stool.

"Yeah, the sun woke me up." Cleo quickly served up two plates of bacon and eggs. "There you go. Perfect for a hangover." She said with a grin.

"It's weird, that huge storm passing so quickly." Will said as he looked outside. Sure enough, the sun was shining brilliantly over the street.

"Yeah it is, but you won't hear me complaining." Cleo said in a tone that was all too chipper for morning.

Will sat beside Bella at the table and dug into the delicious breakfast Cleo had set out. Lewis came stumbling into the kitchen several minutes later.

"What happened last night?" He managed to get out.

"Oh nothing exciting." Cleo put out a plate of food for him and walked around the table to pat his arm reassuringly. "You're such a lightweight, dear."

"Yeah, yeah." Lewis sat down, defeated. "So what do we have on for today?"

"Well, I had figured we would need to cancel everything because of the rain, but since it's stopped... Do you want to collect those coral samples?" Cleo knew Lewis had been dying to get his hands on some rare coral. He had been trying to apply to a scientific research study group, but they shot him down each time he applied. He really wanted to impress the decision panel.

"Ooo, that sounds fantastic." Lewis said with a weak smile as he nursed his head.

Rikki and Zane wandered out of the bedroom a few seconds later. "Hey gang." Rikki said sleepily. The rest of the group greeted them appropriately.

"Cleo, this looks amazing." Rikki said as she looked at the food. "But we've got to get going. We're opening the cafe early today."

"Ok, guys. But don't work too hard." Cleo spoke up.

"I _hope_ we have to work too hard." Zane said wearily as he and Rikki headed out the door.

"I feel so bad for them, they're working so hard." Bella watched them go.

"I know." Will agreed. "You should get the band to put on some free performances."

"Yeah, that would be nice." Cleo sat down beside them. "Except Nate will never go for it. He'd never perform for free."

"You're right." Will agreed. "I wish he'd get over himself and do what's best for the cafe for once."

Bella's phone rang, practically before the words had left Will's mouth.

"Hello?" She answered it. "Nate?" She listened for a few seconds. "Oh really?" She sounded completely surprised. "You're sure? That's great." Her face spread into a smile. "Fantastic. Thanks, Nate."

Bella shut her phone and looked at the rest of the group with a grin. "You guys are not going to believe this." She said. "That was Nate. He just suggested that the band perform for free for the next week."

"What?" Cleo said in disbelief. "No way."

"Seriously, no way." Will agreed. He sat back in his chair, deep in thought for a moment. "You know, it's really weird."

Bella waited, but Will didn't continue. He just sat there, deep in thought. "What's really weird?" She asked eventually.

"Last night I said I wanted the rain to stop and it did." Will spoke. "And just now I said that I wanted Nate to do what's right and then what does he do? He calls and offers to work for free."

"You must be magic, Will." Cleo said sarcastically.

"Wait a second." Bella was deep in thought. "You didn't just say anything, you _wished_ it."

"What?" Will laughed.

"No, you did." Bella said with conviction. "Remember? Last night you wished that the rain would stop."

"I don't remember a lot about last night." Will said with a shake of his head.

"All I'm saying is that it's weird that you wished for the rain to stop and it did. And then you wished for Nate to be decent and he was." Bella put out her hands. "It's weird."

"Maybe we should get Will to make another wish for us." Cleo said with a giggle. "Hey Will, do me a favor and wish for us to get out of out sociology final."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Will said sarcastically. "Here you go." He tilted his head back and shouted "I wish that the three little mermaids, Bella, Cleo, and Rikki would not have to take their terribly scary sociology final exam tomorrow." He looked at the group. "There. How's that?"

All of them laughed together at the silliness of Will's wish.

"Come on, I was only joking." Bella punched Will playfully on the arm.

They were still laughing when Bella's and Cleo's alarms both went off on their phones.

Bella reached her phone first. "It's a university alert." She read. the humor faded from her face as she looked up at her friends. "The sociology exam has been cancelled." She spoke in a monotone voice. "Professor Craig is sick."

The room was silent for several minutes before Bella spoke up.

"Ok, that's seriously weird." She said as she checked her phone. She'd gotten the same message about the cancelled exam.

All eyes turned to Will.

"Will," Cleo walked over to him. "Have you developed the ability to grant wishes?"

"What? Of course not." Will laughed half-heartedly.

"No. He hasn't." Lewis was the one who spoke up this time. "But you have."

"What?" Cleo turned to face her boyfriend.

"You can grant wishes." Lewis said. "It's part of mermaid legend. I didn't think it was real, but it shows up in tons of mermaid stories. They have the ability to grant the wishes of mortals. It's all pretty vague though. The power must not have manifested until now. I mean, you've all been mermaids for a long time. New powers were bound to show up."

"No way." Will shook his head.

"Ok then," Bella spoke up. "Let's test it."


	2. How does it all work?

The four of them sat at the kitchen table together and exchanged expectant looks with one another.

"Ok." Cleo said excitedly. "We shouldn't let ourselves get too thrilled just yet." Cleo spread her hands on the table calmly. "This really could all be one big coincidence."

"A coincidence? Really?" Bella said skeptically. "Cleo, Professor Craig is _never_ sick. He hasn't missed a day of class all year. Then Will wishes us out of our final exam and we immediately find out that it's cancelled. That is way more than a coincidence."

"Maybe." Lewis spoke up. "But we should definitely be careful of what we say, of what we wish for." Lewis opened Cleo's laptop and began typing furiously. After a few seconds he turned to Will. "Wish for something. Something small." He added.

"Alright." Will drummed his hands on the table as he thought. "I wish for... um.. a cheeseburger."

The group waited in silent anticipation. Cleo and Bella instinctively closed their eyes and mentally tried to produce a cheeseburger on the table.

All of a sudden the shrill timer over the oven went off, making the group jump in surprise. All four of them shot out of their seats and dashed to the other end of the kitchen. Will pulled open the oven door with flourish.

Sure enough, inside the oven on a glass plate sat a cheeseburger.

"Cool" Will breathed as he picked it up.

"Taste it." Bella said anxiously. "Make sure it's real."

Will's eyelids fluttered as he took a huge bite. "Iz EE-rish-uz." He spoke with a full mouth.

"And in English that means?" Cleo moved to stand beside Will.

"It's delicious." Will said after a huge swallow.

The four of them plopped back into their seats at the table, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Wow." Cleo giggled. "If that isn't proof then I don't know what is."

"I think you're right." Lewis hadn't blinked in a solid minute. "I really didn't expect that to work."

"Lewis, you're one who figured out that we could grant wishes in the first place." Cleo pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, but I wasn't sure I was right!" Lewis pulled at his hair. "This is incredible."

"Hell yes it's incredible!" Will hit the table with his hands. "We could wish for a million dollars!"

"No way." Lewis said quickly. "Counterfeit money is definitely not a good idea."

"Ok, so no money." Will stood and paced the room, lost in his thoughts. "But think of all the things we _can_ wish for. Hey..." Will had an idea. He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in concentration. After a few seconds his head popped up and he looked at Bella expectantly. "Darn it." Disappointment washed across Will's face. "I guess you have to say the wish out loud for it to work."

"And what did you wish for?" Lewis raised one eyebrow.

"I wished for Bella's top to disappear." Will said with a mischievous grin.

"Oh you stop it." Bella swatted at his arm playfully.

"So what are you thinking?" Cleo scooched her chair closer to Lewis's.

"I'm thinking we'd better get down to the cafe and tell Rikki and Zane." Lewis answered quickly. "Right now."

The four friends dashed out of the apartment as soon as they'd thrown on some normal clothes. They had briefly discussed wishing their way to the cafe. "It'll be so much faster than walking!" Will had argued. But Cleo had ended up winning the discussion. She didn't want anyone to be accidentally split in half by accident. No one pushed for wish travel after that. They practically ran the whole way there.

"Rikki!" Bella shouted as they all burst into the cafe.

Rikki looked up, along with everyone else in the cafe. The eatery hushed as everyone looked at Bella, waiting to hear her speak.

"Uh, guys?" Rikki spoke quietly as she approached the gang. "What's up?"

"Come with us." Cleo pulled Rikki by her elbow towards the office. They ran through the door without knocking.

Zane looked up from a mountain of paperwork as everyone barged in. "What's going on?" He frowned, more than a little bit puzzled.

"We have something to tell you that you are not going to believe." Lewis said breathlessly.

"Ok... out with it then." Rikki prompted him impatiently.

"Wish for something." Will told Zane with a goofy laugh.

"Something really really small." Lewis added.

Zane's eyes narrowed. "You want me to make a _wish_?" He asked skeptically.

"Yes, just do it." Will pressed.

"Uh..." Zane thought for a second. "Ok, I wish for... a pair of... socks?"

"_Socks?_" Rikki teased him.

Before Zane could respond, a pair of black silk socks appeared in his hands out of thin air. Zane's eyes widened. He dropped the socks as if they were on fire and jumped backwards. "What the hell just happened?"

Will laughed like a little boy at Christmas time.

"It's the coolest thing, mate." Lewis clapped Zane on the shoulder. "It would appear that the girls have developed the ability to grant wishes."

"We an what?" Rikki asked incredulously.

"It's true." Cleo and Bella rushed to Rikki's side. "We only just found out."

"And we thought we'd better tell you guys." Lewis explained.

Rikki and Zane just stood there, frozen, as they contemplated the news.

"So... how exactly does it work?" Rikki managed.

"We have absolutely no idea." Lewis answered. "But we're going to test it when we get home. Just be careful what you say." He pointed at Zane.

Zane nodded wordlessly, his face still confused.

"We'll see you two later?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Yeah, be back soon." Rikki said, still sorting things out.

"Great. Be careful." Lewis gave Rikki and Zane a pointed look. "Are we headed out?" He looked to Bella, Cleo, and Will.

"Wait, why don't you practice here?" Rikki suggested.

"Probably not a good idea." Bella said practically. "We don't want anything weird to happen in front of anyone."

"Fine." Rikki exhaled. "We'll be over as soon as the cafe closes."

"Great." Cleo said with a nervous smile. "We'll see you in a bit!"

Everyone except Rikki and Zane bustled out the door.

"Be careful" Lewis said one more time before following everyone out.

"Yeah, yeah." Zane pushed the door shut behind them before turning back to Rikki. "Wishes?" He crossed his arms thoughtfully.

"Wishes." Rikki echoed.

Zane stood in front of Rikki for several seconds in silence before he opened his mouth to speak. "You know... if that's really true... it might really help out the cafe..."

"No way." Rikki shook her head. "We are not messing with the cafe with any kind of magic wishes."

"Why not?" Zane shrugged. "If you have the power to grant wishes, then why can't we-"

"We aren't doing anything to the cafe that might get us in trouble." Rikki said firmly. "If we add revenue or cheat our numbers the government might find out. We aren't using magic on the cafe."

"Fine." Zane knew Rikki had a point and he was trying not to sound too bitter. "Let's just get back to work so we can get back to your place and see what they've worked out."

"You got it." Rikki marched out into the cafe with determination.

A few hours later Cleo, Lewis, Bella, and Will had figured out a few things about the wishes. They knew that the harder the mermaids concentrated, the more powerful the wish turned out to be. Lewis wished aloud for a coffee when only Cleo was in earshot. She didn't even really hear the wish, but a second later a picture of a steaming cup of coffee appeared on a post it note on the table. He rewished for the coffee a few minutes later. This time Bella and Cleo both concentrated. A huge pot of Colombian brew appeared on the kitchen counter.

They also found that Will had been right. The wishes had to be made aloud. The girls had to hear the wish in order to grant it. Sometimes they didn't even realize they had granted a wish. Mostly, as long as they somewhat agreed with the wish (Will wishing for the rain to stop, Will wishing for the exam to be cancelled, etc) the wish would be automatically granted even if they didn't concentrate. But if it was one they were completely against, like when Will wished for a Playboy Playmate to appear in the living room, it didn't happen. The girls didn't have to grant each and every with the boys made.

They also made one more important discovery completely by accident. They had ordered pizza from a little shop and were waiting for it to be delivered. The delivery man had made small talk for a few seconds before saying the words that made everyone freak out.

"Oh darn, I wish I'd remembered to bring change." He said as he checked his pockets.

Everyone froze as they waited for the change to appear. It didn't.

"Ah, that's ok mate, you keep it." Will handed the pizza boy a twenty and ushered him quickly out the door. He shut it tightly behind the delivery boy and turned to face the group. "His wish didn't come true. What were you guys thinking about?"

"I was thinking that I wish he'd brought change." Bella spoke. "The pizza only cost ten bucks, we paid him double."

"But it didn't." Lewis pointed out.

From there they'd discovered that only the boys could make wishes. The girls assumed it had to do with the boys' closeness to the girls.

"Ok listen." Will commanded the attention of the group. "I think we need to set a few rules."

"I agree." Bella spoke up. "Listen, on behalf of us girls here, I think we need to make an agreement not to take advantage of this whole wish thing. I _don't_ want anyone to make wishes because they know they'll be granted." She shot a look at Will.

"That's just what I was going to say." Will said. "From now on, no one wishes, serious or not, for anything without the girls' permission."

"Agreed." Cleo nodded.

Lewis emerged from a huge mountain of papers. Most were written by hand, a few were printed off the internet. "Who's talking about fishes?" He asked as he picked up fallen papers from the floor."

"It's nothing big." Cleo wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and pulled him close. "Just don't go wishing for anything."

"Well, maybe not just _anything._" Bella concluded, turning to look at Cleo. "But what if we gave each of the boys one freebie?"

"_What?_" Cleo pulled her friend to the side. "What do you mean, give each of them a wish?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Bella said calmly. "They've put up with so much, shouldn't they get a little perk?"

"I don't know, Bella." Cleo said warily. "We don't want the wishes to get out of hand."

"If it's something we don't like it won't come true." Bella said practically. "We should cut the boys a break. they have been wonderfully supportive."

"I just don't know." Cleo said uncertainly. "We should wait and ask Rikki."

With perfect timing, Rikki walked through the front door with Zane at just that moment. Within a few minutes they had been all caught up and a few more practice wishes had been made. Bella told Rikki about her suggestion to give each of the boys just one wish.

"They deserve it." Bella pleaded. "Think of all the times they've had to cover for us, don't we owe them?"

Rikki thought for a few seconds before turning to the boys, who were listening in rapt anticipation. "Alright guys, think hard and think carefully. It looks like you each get one wish."


	3. Did it work?

The boys all had matching expressions of pure joy on their faces. They're eyes widened with excitement, making them look like kids on Christmas morning.

"You mean..." Will started.

"We get to make..." Lewis turned to Cleo.

"A wish?" Zane put both hands on Rikki's shoulders.

The boys didn't move a muscle as they waited for the girls to confirm what they had said.

The girls exchanged looks with one another before nodding.

"You may each make one wish." Bella confirmed. "_Just_ one."

The boys cheered so loudly the girls worried that the neighbors would begin pounding on the walls. The three of them immediately began chattering as they discussed the possibilities.

"This deserves a beer!" Lewis shouted dopily. The boys shouted excitedly to one another as they bustled into the kitchen. the door closed tightly behind them as they talked over one another.

The girls were left alone in the, now silent, living room. They sat there, staring after the boys.

"You're welcome!" Rikki called at the door sarcastically.

The girls giggled slightly. "I don't think we've made them that happy since..." Bella thought hard. "I don't think we've ever made them that happy, actually."

"I think you're right." Cleo couldn't believe how excited Lewis was. "Are we sure about this?"

"I'm not sure we have a choice anymore." Rikki said practically. "I mean, they'll probably just wish for something silly. Right?"

The girls exchanged slightly nervous but mostly excited looks.

"Think they're ever coming back?" Bella gestured to the kitchen door.

"I think they've forgotten we're even here." Rikki laughed.

"Well let's go remind them." Cleo stood. "I think I could go for a drink. Lord only knows what Lewis is going to wish for."

The boys talked with one another nonstop for what seemed like the next two hours. They came up with idea after idea for their one wish.

"I could wish for a new car..."

"-The new game system I've been wanting..."

"I've always wanted to meet Heidi Klum-"

On and on they went, debating about what would be the best way to spend their one wish. Eventually they began to settle down a bit, and take a slightly more practical look at the opportunity they'd been given. Their conversation began to roll in circles as the girls watched on, amused at the enthusiasm with which the boys spoke.

"Ok, I think I've decided on mine." Zane said nervously.

"Me too." Will grinned.

"And me." Lewis couldn't stop from beaming.

"Ok." Rikki stood, holding her hands out. "Write them down first." She slid a pad of paper to the boys. "We get final approval before you guys wish for anything. We need to make sure everything is worded right."

"And that we're ok with it." Bella added, shooting a look at Will.

"Darn." Will scrunched up his face. "I should probably wish for something different then."

Bella rolled her eyes as she playfully smacked Will on the arm.

Zane wrote furiously before pushing the paper towards Rikki. "It's not very exciting," he said sheepishly. "But I think you'll probably approve."

Rikki read quickly. "You want to make a wish for the cafe?" She raised her eyebrows. This was not at all what she expected.

"Yeah." Zane shrugged. "You know business has been down, I want to know we'll be stable for a while."

"You wish for takings at the cafe to increase dramatically." Rikki read aloud. Her face screwed up slightly. "I don't know, Zane."

"What don't you know?" Zane said indignantly as he stood and walked over to his girlfriend. "This is a perfectly legitimate wish."

"I'm not saying it isn't." Rikki said smoothly. "My only objection is to the wording. If you wish to increase _takings_ that means money. We can't have unexplained money showing up all of a sudden, how will we explain that?"

Zane nodded. "Fair enough. How should I word it then?"

Rikki wrote down a few words and handed the page back to Zane. "Go for it." She said with a grin.

"You sure?" Zane looked to the other two girls, who nodded. They trusted Rikki."

"Ok..." Zane took a deep breath as the three mermaids closed their eyes and concentrated. "I wish for more people to crave juices, music, and everything else the cafe has to offer." He finished strongly before shooting a sideways look at Rikki. "You're sure you wrote that right?"

"Positive." Rikki cracked one eye open to answer him.

The girls could feel it. Maybe it was because all three of them were there, eyes closed, but this time they could definitely feel the magic leaving them. The feeling passed after a few seconds.

"Did it work?" Will asked excitedly.

"We'll have to wait and see, the cafe is closed now." Rikki answered. "So who's next?" She looked to Lewis and Will expectantly.

"Me." Will stepped up. "I've known what I wanted to wish for since the moment I found out about Bella." He said with certainty.

"Ok..." Bella pushed the same page of paper over to Will. "Write it down."

Will did so and pushed the paper back to Bella, a hopefully look on his face.

"You want to be like me?" Bella raised her eyebrows.

"Not forever, just for a while." Will clarified.

"Wait, what exactly does he want?" Cleo asked.

Bella read aloud. "He wishes he could be like us. Transform like us." She looked to the rest of the group. "Is that ok?"

"Of course, it's a wish." Rikki shrugged. Cleo agreed.

"Ok then." Bella handed the paper back to Will and took a deep breath. All three girls closed their eyes and concentrated.

Will spoke aloud. "I wish to transform the way the mermaids do when they touch water."

Again, they felt the power move through them. They opened their eyes slowly, examining Will.

"Well, did mine work?" Will didn't want to wait any longer before finding out.

"I'm sure it did." Bella said comfortingly. "But let's go ahead and grant Lewis's wish before we test it, ok?"

"Alright." Will agreed reluctantly. Secretly, he had always wanted to know what it would be like to swim as a mermaid. Well, mer_man._ He would only need to wait a bit longer before he could get his wish.

"Alright Lewis." Cleo said with a smile. "What is your wish?"

"Well," Lewis flushed, slightly embarrassed. "Mine is really easy." He handed the paper he'd written the wish on to Cleo."

Cleo read it to herself before looking to Lewis with appreciative eyes. "Are you sure this is all you want?" She asked gently.

"Absolutely." Lewis didn't even pause before answering.

Cleo showed the page to Bella and Rikki, but neither of them had any corrections for it. She handed it back to Lewis and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Ok." Lewis took a deep breath. "I wish to be totally accepted by the decision panel for the biological research group." He closed his eyes as he finished the wish.

Once again, the girls felt the power flow through them and out into space. They slowly opened their eyes and looked to one another.

"Now what?" Cleo was the one to speak first.

"I don't know." Bella pondered. "But we should all stay here tonight."

"Fine by me." Zane said with a slight grin as he pulled himself closer to Rikki.

"Oh hush." Rikki said with a silly tone. "Come on." She gestured for Zane to follow her back to her room.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Zane practically skipped past Rikki back into her room.

"And there he goes." Rikki watched as he fluttered past. "I should follow him." She whispered to the rest of the group. "Don't do _anything_ without telling me about it first!" She instructed.

"I may take Will out to Mako." Bella called. "Is that alright?"

"Sure is." Rikki said with a wink. "You two kids have fun."

"I would offer to join you, but I'm betting you two want a little privacy." Cleo said delicately. "Though I will expect a phone call. Let me know if it worked."

"Are you sure you don't want to test it here first?" Lewis raised his eyebrows.

"No." Will said definitively. He wanted his first transformation to be in the ocean. He looked to Bella with bright eyes. "Let's swim to Mako."

Bella giggled as she entwined her fingers in her boyfriend's. She was so incredibly flattered that his one wish had been to swim like she did. She looked to Lewis and Cleo. "Are you guys going to try anything tonight?"

"Not much to try." Lewis raised his shoulders. "I'll give the panel a call tomorrow and see if they've changed their mind about my application."

Cleo yawned, stretching her arms over he head. "Ready for bed?"

"Don't you know it." Lewis and Cleo headed back towards Cleo's room, leaving Bella and Will alone.

"Ready?" Bella squeezed Will's hands in hers.

"Since the day I met you." Will said cheesily as the pair hurried outside towards the dock.

Rikki and Zane were laying in the bed, arms wrapped around each other in the darkness. "Zane?" Rikki said quietly.

"Hm?" Zane stared blankly up at the ceiling.

"Why did you wish for what you did?" Rikki looked up at him. "You could have wished for anything, and you just wished for business to pick up at the cafe?"

"The cafe is ours." Zane said simply. "If business keeps going down we'll have to close eventually." He kissed the top of Rikki's head thoughtfully. "I don't know what I'd do if that happened. It's the first thing I've been in charge of. I don't want to let you down."

"I'm in charge too," Rikki reminded him. "If the cafe goes under it's just as much my fault as it is yours."

"But it isn't going to." Zane said with a smirk. "Because we have your magical mermaid mojo."

"Mojo?" Rikki raised herself up on her elbows with a laugh.

"And what would you call it?" Zane wrapped his arms around Rikki and rolled over playfully so that he lay on top of her. Their laughter faded slowly as they looked into each other's eyes. "I love you." Zane said without a trace of laughter.

Rikki heard the truth in his words. "And I love you." Was all she said before she pressed her lips to his.

Bella and Will stood at the edge of the dock, hand in hand.

"You ready to do this?" Bella looked up at Will.

Will took a deep breath. "Yes." Was his answer. "Should I, uh, take off my shoes?"

"You've seen how it works." Bella answered. "When you change back everything will be the same as when you jumped in the water. You don't need to take anything off."

"What if it doesn't work?" Will asked worriedly.

Bella gave a light laugh. "Then you climb back out and we go home. We'll try to wish again tomorrow."

"Ok." Will took a deep breath. "On the count of three?"

Bella nodded. "One... two... three."

They stepped off the dock at the exact same time and sank down into the water. Will held onto Bella's hand tightly as he waited. At first it didn't seem like anything was going to happen. He was just getting ready to give up and swim for the surface when he felt it. A weird tingling started at his navel and moved down all the way to his toes. The sensation was almost overwhelming. Will tried to wiggle his toes and realized his toes weren't there anymore. He looked down through the dark water. Instead of two legs, a long deep gold colored fin had appeared. Will inhaled in surprised excitement, causing water to flow into his lungs. Sputtering, he pushed himself up to the surface to gulp in fresh air.

"Will!" Bella surfaced beside him, her eyes opened wide. "Holy hell!"

Will was unable to speak as he looked down at himself. It was just like he'd imagined it. He felt more powerful than he ever had before. He turned to Bella, a look of childish excitement on his face. "Let's swim out to Mako." He said quickly.

It only took Will a few minutes before he could power himself through the water just as Bella did. The two swam out to Mako in record time. Will had never been happier in his entire life.


	4. Really?

Cleo's eyes flew open at the crack of dawn the next morning. She sat up quickly in bed and immediately reached for her phone. Bella had never called last night. Cleo sighed as she opened the small silver phone and read the incoming text that had come through late last night. Sure enough, it was from Bella. Cleo opened the message and read it nervously. The message contained only two words.

'It worked.'

Cleo read the words to herself several times, a growing excitement building within her. She jumped out of bed, leaving a snoring Lewis behind her, and hurried to Bella's room. The bed was still made. Bella had never come in last night. Cleo dialed Bella's number quickly and waited impatiently as it rang. Eventually it went through to voicemail. Cleo dropped the phone onto the carpet and dashed back to her room. She pounced on top of Lewis, scaring the daylights out of him.

"Hey!" Lewis yelped as he was suddenly bounced awake. He blinked sleepily at Cleo. "What time is it?" He groped blindly for his phone, which sat on the bedside table.

"The wishes work." Cleo's eyes shone with excitement as she straddled Lewis. "Bella texted me. The wishes _work._"

Lewis blinked at Cleo a few more times without speaking. Several seconds passed before he managed to form words. "They what?"

Cleo wrapped Lewis into her arms. "Will's wish worked." She said quietly. "Call the decision panel. See what they have to say."

"What?" Lewis sat up sleepily. "Cleo, I called them twice yesterday. I'm not going to call them again." He crossed his arms over his chest. "If they want to talk to me they can give me a call."

Lewis's phone suddenly rang shrilly from where it sat on the bedside table. Both he and Cleo froze as they listened to the ringing.

"You'd better get that." Cleo's voice dripped with anticipation.

Lewis picked up the phone with one shaking hand. He held it o his ear and cleared his throat before speaking. "Hello?" He managed. He listened to the speaker carefully. "Yes, this is Lewis Mcartney." Lewis's eyes began to widen as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line. "Wh- tha- that would be amazing!" He said excitedly. "I mean," He took a long, calming breath. "Of course I can set up a meeting. How is noon?"

A smile spread across Cleo's face as she listened to her boyfriend talking. At that moment Rikki burst into the bedroom, phone in hand.

"Did you see Bella's message?" She exclaimed with a short laugh.

"Shh..." Cleo hushed her friend and pulled her out into the hallway. "Lewis is on the phone with the biological research institution he's been practically drooling over for months now."

Rikki's eyes widened. "So the wishes really _did_ work, didn't they?"

Cleo nodded, her eyes gleaming.

"Wow..." Rikki breathed, gazing blankly at the wall. "I can't wait to see how Will's' handling that fin." She said with a smirk. "I'd better wake up Zane."

Rikki winked at Cleo before sipping back up the hall. Cleo watched her friend disappear into the bedroom as she pushed her own door open and let herself quietly inside. Lewis was already off the phone. He sat on the bed staring vacantly at the wall in front of him. He didn't seem to notice as Cleo sat beside him on the bed.

"Well?" Cleo prodded him gently. "What was the phone call about?"

"I'm meeting with the selection committee at noon." Lewis spoke in a monotone voice, still staring at the wall.

"Congratulations, Lewis, that's great!" Cleo wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him to her tightly. "I am absolutely _sure_ you'll get in."

"I already have." Lewis whispered.

"What?" Cleo pulled back, confused.

"He said they love my work, it's revolutionary. They've offered me a full time research position with the faculty. They want me to give a weekly seminar to the biologists about marine research. I'm not meeting with the selection committee to be interviewed." Lewis swallowed. "I'm meeting with the as _part_ of the committee. They want me to help choose who gets awarded an internship."

Cleo's mouth dropped open wide. "Lewis, that's wonderful." She said gently. She was beginning to get concerned. Lewis's expression still hadn't changed. "Aren't you happy?"

"Am I happy?" Lewis's eyebrows raised slightly. "The institute of my dreams has offered me a job, they want me to teach _them,_ and they want my voice on their selection panel. _Am I happy?_"

Lewis gave himself a shake, finally turning his head to look at Cleo. His eyes were shining. "I'm ecstatic." He murmured as he stood up.

Cleo pulled his face to hers for a kiss. Lewis wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around. A low laugh began to rumble in his chest.

"I'm thrilled!" Lewis shouted at the top of his lungs as they turned. He spun Cleo around faster and faster, until the two were dizzy with laughter. Eventually the pair flopped onto the bed, flat on their backs. Lewis gazed into Cleo's eyes as they tried to slow their breathing. "I love you." He said simply.

"Right back atcha." Cleo smiled at him for a second before hopping off the bed. "Now we need to get you to your place." She said smartly. "We need to pic you out a perfectly professional outfit for your first meeting." She held out one hand to Lewis, who still lay on the bed.

"We have time." Lewis took Cleo's hand and pulled her back down onto the bed. He quickly rolled on top of her, pinning her down gently. "There's something very important that I need to do first."

The pair didn't end up leaving for an entire hour.

"This is sooooo amazing." Will's voice echoed off the walls of the moon pool cavern. He lay on his back, floating in the water next to Bella. They'd been out swimming in the ocean for the entire night. It had taken a while, but Bella had finally convinced Will to take a break.

Will was in heaven. He had dreamed about being able to swim like this, but he'd always thought it was impossible. Tonight, he'd stayed under the water for a whole thirty minutes before having to surface for air. Just a few minutes ago he'd dove deeper than anyone without an oxygen tank had before. And the speed... Will was in love with the feel of the water rushing past him as he sped through the sea.

"How are you handling all of this?" Bella's voice shook him from his thoughts. "Feeling overwhelmed yet?"

"Overwhelmed?" Will said with a laugh. "This just might be the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Bella giggled. She loved how enthusiastic Will was about all this. Swimming in the ocean with Cleo and Rikki was fun, but somehow swimming with Will was even better. He just got it. And he loved it. And she loved him for it. "When do you want to head back? She too his hand in hers as she spoke.

"Never." At that moment, Will wouldn't care if he was stuck like this forever. He had never felt so good in his own skin.

"We'll need to talk with Cleo and Rikki." Bella spoke. "Or we could just show them." She said with a grin.

"One more hour." Will pleaded. "And then we'll go in."

"That's what you said an hour ago." Bella said with a giggle.

"Yeah, but this time I kinda mean it." Will said with a mischievous grin.

"Ok. _One more hour._" Bella said with a mock-stern tone. "And then we're going home, mister."

Rikki and Zane hurried towards the cafe, anticipation in every footstep.

"We can't let ourselves get too excited." Zane spoke aloud to himself for the tenth time. "Just because Lewis and Will's wishes worked, it doesn't mean mine will. We can't get too excited." Zane walked a little faster.

Rikki hurried along beside him, trying to reassure him that everything would be just fine. They both stopped short as the cafe came into view.

"Do you see what I see?" Rikki elbowed Zane slightly.

"That's a crowd." A smile spread a cross Zane's face. "A crowd waiting to get into _our_ cafe."

"It's Zane!" A group of five or so teenage girls brightened as they saw Zane approaching. In fact, the whole crowd seemed to look up with interest as Zane and Rikki walked up. Zane pulled out his keys and quickly walked up to open the front door.

"I am _so_ glad you're here." A perky young brunette hopped to stand at Zane's elbow. "I've just been _dying_ for a juice." She licked her lips flirtatiously at Zane.

"Ok then." Rikki pushed her way between the girl and Zane, a little less than gently. "Let's get you that juice then, so you can go on home."

Rikki smiled with too many teeth to look friendly and held Zane's hand possessively as they walked inside the familiar cafe. The cafe filled quickly. The crowd was younger than usual, mostly teenage boys and girls. Each one of the customers hung on Rikki and Zane's every word.

Now, on any given day, Rikki and Zane each received their fair share of attention from the patrons of the cafe. Both typically came home after a shift with at least one phone number in their pockets, and each had to say the words 'thank you, but I'm not single' at least once a day.

Today was different. It seemed like every napkin had someone's phone number written on it. The crowd was happier than usual. They were all smiles, and were definitely thirsty.

"When does the band start?" A young man with long wavy hair caught Rikki as she rushed by with a tray of juices.

"Ah, at seven." Rikki offered a quick smile before hurrying on to her table. She distributed the juices and turned just in time to see a reporter walking into the cafe with a cameraman behind her. "Excuse me," Rikki approached the reporter quickly. "Can I help you?"

"Hi there." The blonde reporter said with a wide smile that sparkled brightly. "I'm here to interview Zane Bennett?"

Lewis straightened his tie nervously as he took one last deep breath. He stood in front of a dark mahogany door. Behind it sat the minds that Lewis had been dying to impress. He cleared his throat one last time and turned the doorknob.

"Lewis!" A middle aged man with thinning hair stood as Lewis entered the room. "I am so glad you could make it. We've been quite anxious to meet you."

Lewis nodded awkwardly as he stood in the doorway.

"Come on in!" An older woman ushered Lewis inside. "We have a chair waiting for you right here."

Lewis followed the woman to a leather chair behind a long wooden table.

"Lewis, we are just dying to pick your brain." A skinny man with circular glasses held his hand out for Lewis to shake, which he did. "What are your thoughts on the discovery of self-preserving algae found in the pacific?"

Lewis blinked before answering. He had done an entire research project on that exact topic. He began talking about the main points of his research. The room seemed to hang on his every word. Lewis finished a few minutes later. The room erupted in enthusiastic applause. Lewis looked around uneasily, unsure of what to do next.

"Come, son." The man that had opened the door for him held the leather chair out to him. "I'm Professor Clemmons. Please, take a seat."

Lewis did as he asked, looking around the room nervously. He was waiting for them to come to their senses and throw him out of the room. They didn't. In fact, they were all watching him in anticipation, as if they were waiting for him to do a trick.

"Mr. Mcartney," the older woman stood. "I know that application interviews begin shortly, but could we trouble you for a few words on the research you've conducted on single cell organisms?"

"Sure." Lewis stood shyly. He began to tell the room about his latest research. Everyone listened intently.

Lewis grinned. He could get used to this.

"


	5. What did we do?

Lewis finished his talk just a few moments before the application interviews were due to begin. "Think that's all we have time for today." Lewis said, checking his watch. "But thank you all for listening-"

"Mr. Mcartney," The man with the glasses, who had introduced himself as Dr. Donoval, stood. "We can postpone the interviews, is there any way we can convince you to extend your lecture?"

"Ah..." Lewis said blankly. "I... don't think that's a good idea... applicants have been preparing for this for months. We should see it through."

"Right, right." Dr. Donoval's face fell. "Then after, yes?" The whole room looked at Lewis with hopeful eyes.

"Sure." Lewis nodded quickly, gazing around the room at his scientific idols. He'd never met anyone this interested in his research before, and here was a room full of scientists begging him to keep speaking. If Lewis's heart hadn't been beating out of his chest he would have sworn he'd died and gone to heaven.

Rikki flew quickly into the apartment, pulling the door shut behind her with a sigh of relief. Cleo was the only person inside, and she looked up curiously as Rikki leaned against the closed door.

"Are you ok?" Cleo stood and hurried over to her friend.

"Oh I'm better than ok." Rikki caught her breath with a grin. "The cafe is doing _great._"

"Really?" Cleo brightened. "That's fantastic!"

"Yeah, I mean, everything seems to be going perfectly." Rikki fell onto the couch in exhaustion. "We've been working like crazy. And some reporter showed up to interview Zane. I guess they're doing some kind of local eateries story for the paper."

"So tell me about it." Cleo was anxious to hear all about how the wish had worked. This whole thing fascinated her. "Did a whole lot of people just randomly show up? What happened?"

Rikki shook her head as she explained. "It was the weirdest thing. It felt like Zane and I were celebrities or something." She said. "There were a lot of people our age there. And they ALL wanted juice, music, everything!" She finished excitedly. "If things keep up this way I think the cafe will be pretty well set up."

The two girls giggled a bit before Cleo told Rikki about Lewis's day. "He's still there reporting his findings to them." She said gleefully. "They're hanging on his every word."

"Is he being careful?" Rikki tensed just slightly. "I mean, he knows information about us that those scientists would kill for. He won't-"

"Of course not, Rikki." Cleo spoke in a sing-song tone. "He knows better than that."

"I know, I know." Rikki shrugged. "I just don't want him to accidentally spill anything."

"He won't." Cleo said simply. "I know him."

"I know you do." Rikki let a grin spread across her face. She checked her watch. "Has anyone heard from Bella or Will?"

"I haven't." Cleo frowned slightly. "We should probably go out and check on them, they've been gone forever."

As if they'd been summoned, Bella and Will burst through the door at that very moment. They were practically bent over with laughter as they came through the door. Rikki and Cleo watched them silently for a few moments as they began to kiss each other playfully.

"Ahem." Rikki cleared her throat loudly.

Bella and Will jumped slightly at the sound. "Sorry, guys." Bella blushed. "I didn't realize you were here."

"Yeah, you would have had to actually look at something other than each other in order to see us." Rikki said sarcastically.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Cleo said excitedly.

"We've been swimming." Bella jumped onto the couch beside her. "Like, we've been swimming _together._"

"No kidding." Rikki's head nodded slowly. "So Will has a... a you know what?"

"I'm a merman!" Will announced proudly, holding his arms over his head victoriously.

"And the whole town will know it if you don't tone it down." Bella said gently as she reached for Will's hand and pulled him onto the couch beside her. "So hush."

Will's face flushed slightly as he let himself fall onto the couch next to Bella. "Sorry." He said sheepishly, lowering his tone.

"You goof." Bella playfully swatted Will's hand. "He loves it." She said to Rikki and Cleo. "How did the other wishes turn out?"

"Everything seems perfect." Rikki answered honestly. She nodded to Bella and Will. "You two seemed thrilled, business at the cafe is booming, and Lewis seems to still be at his conference with his heroes."

Cleo nodded confirmation. "Rikki's right. Everything seems to be great."

"Where is Zane?" Bella looked toward the kitchen.

"He's finishing up at the cafe." Rikki answered tiredly, a smile playing at the corner of her eyes. "I really think things are going to work out over there. There were a ton more people in there today than there usually is."

"I think we should celebrate tonight." Cleo announced. "That is, if Lewis ever decides to come home. He may move in with those scientist people for all I know. He loves the attention."

"Cleo's right. About celebrating, I mean." Will said brightly. "You girls took a chance and it really paid off. Imagine the things we can do!"

"Well I'm not trying to do anything else for a bit." Bella said calmly. "Let's make sure there aren't any repercussions from this first round of wishes before we jump into anything else."

"Fine." Will pouted playfully. "Can we go for a swim now?"

"We just had one!" Bella laughed. "We'll go back after we celebrate with the gang for a bit, k?"

Will groaned. He wanted to go back into the water right now. It was the most amazing sensation he'd ever experienced and he loved it.

"Why don't we go out?" Rikki called from the kitchen as she poured herself a cup of juice.

"To the cafe?" Cleo asked.

"No, I mean somewhere fun." Rikki said with a laugh. "That new club opened up on Libby Street, want to check it out?"

The group exchanged excited looks. They rarely got the opportunity to go out together. As if on cue, Lewis and Zane stumbled tiredly through the front door at that moment. All eyes turned to them as they made their entrance.

The chatter started at an excited murmer and gradually turned into a loud celebration. Lewis told everyone about his visit with the scientific panel. They were anxious for Lewis to come back the next day for another lecture. Lewis was more than flattered, though he was also more than exhausted.

Zane took his turn next, telling everyone about what a successful day the cafe had had. "They'd barely let me close up." He said as he flopped onto the couch. "They were begging me to leave the cafe open twenty four seven."

Drinks were soon distributed and the party really got started soon after that. In less than an hour the girls were all dolled up and ready to go to the club and the boys were ready to escort them. They walked out the door with a pep in their step, ready for a night out on the town.

Libby Street wasn't far, and they reached the highly publicized club in a few minutes time. They paused briefly outside the entrance.

"Club Energy." Rikki read. "Wow, what an original name."

"I don't care if it's called 'Club-come-in-and-have-a-beer" Zane pulled Rikki towards the entrance. "Come on, let's have some fun."

The group didn't need any more convincing. They followed Zane and Rikki inside.

"Now this is a club." Will said approvingly as he looked around.

The club was barely lit and full of dancing bodies. Loud music pumped through speakers that were scattered around the large dance floor. Between the bright dance lights and the billowing smoke machine, it was hard to see anyone. It was the kind of place anyone over twenty five would never dare step foot inside.

"Shall we dance, m'lady?" Lewis playfully bowed to Cleo and extended his hand to her.

"I'd love to." Cleo played along, offering a small curtsy before following Lewis out onto the dance floor.

The rest of the group soon lost sight of them in the crowd. Zane and Rikki took off quickly for the bar to get some cold drinks.

"Do you want to dance?" Will asked Bella uncertainly. Usually Bella wasn't a big clubber and neither was he.

"You know what?" Bella turned to Will with a bright smile. "Actually, I do."

The pair headed out onto the floor but didn't quite feel like diving into the middle the way Cleo and Lewis had. They settled for a comfortable position in the back corner of the floor. It was impossible to be alone, but they managed to trick themselves into thinking they were.

Rikki and Zane reappeared at the edge of the dance hall a moment later.

"Do you see where they went?" Rikki stood on her tiptoes, looking for a familiar face.

"Ah, no." Zane combed through the crowd with his eyes. Finally he spotted Cleo and Lewis dancing in the middle of the crowd. "This way." Zane led Rikki through the crowd of people.

It was impossible to hold a conversation with eachother over the loud music, so the four of them settled for just dancing for a while. Eventually they migrated to the back corner where Bella and Will were. They danced hard, living up to the celebratory evening they'd planned. After an hour had passed the group was red-faced and panting.

"I need a drink." Bella panted.

"I'll go with you." Cleo leaned on her friend for support. "My feet are _killing_ me."

Bella and Cleo took a quick drink order from the rest of the group before heading up to the bar.

"I'll have two waters." Bella ordered first, then stepped aside to let Cleo place the rest of the order.

The boy behind the counter hastily poured to cups of ice water and shoved them across the counter towards Bella. Bella instinctively jumped back as the water splashed over the rim of the cups.

"Ah, excuse me?" She waved to get the boy's attention. "Can I get lids and straws for these?"

"Coming." The boy said absently, busily pouring drinks for the couple behind them in line. He grabbed a couple lids off the shelf and whipped around to reach for the water. His hand clumsily knocked right into one of the waters and it cascaded through the air, landing all over Bella.

"Sorry about that!" He called, but Bella had already taken off for the restroom, followed quickly by Cleo.

Luckily, the restroom was a single room with a lock. Bella made it inside in plenty of time, transforming right after Cleo got the door locked.

"Drat." Bella pushed herself up onto her elbows. "I was hoping to make it through one night out without having to make a mad run."

"No big deal. No one saw anything." Cleo said reassuringly. "Let's get you dried off so we can get back out there."

Will, Zane, Lewis, and Rikki had moved to the furthest corner of the dance floor while they waited for Bella and Cleo to return with their drinks. They made idle chit chat, observing the other people dancing on the floor.

"Check out that outfit." Rikki laughed. "She looks like she picked out her clothes in the dark.

The boys looked at her blankly.

"I need the girls to come back..." Rikki groaned.

Will chuckled. "You know..." Suddenly he froze and his face went funny.

"Will?" Lewis hit him lightly on the arm. "Whatcha doing?"

Will looked at Rikki with fear in his eyes. "Um, something is wrong. I can feel it."

"What could be wrong?" Zane narrowed his eyebrows.

Will didn't answer. Not with words anyway. Right there, in the back corner of a very public dance floor he collapsed, his face screwed up with confusion. Rikki, Lewis, and Zane watched in shock as Will's shirt disappeared and his legs elongated into a very long, very un-human fin. Will looked first at his fin, then up at his friends in surprise.

"Wha- wha?" He stuttered. "What just happened?" He tried not to shriek.

Rikki's eyes went wide. "Quick!" She hissed at Zane and Lewis. "Stand in front of him!"

Luckily, they were in the back corner of a very dark and very foggy room. None of the other partiers seemed to notice what had just happened, but it was only a matter of time before one of them spotted the merman on the ground.

Zane and Lewis clumsily stood in front of Will and Rikki, trying to look natural. Rikki quickly crouched down and held her hand out over Will, trying to dry him.

"It isn't working." She panicked. "Why aren't you changing back?"

"I'm not wet!" Will was freaking out on the floor. It had been fun swimming with Bella out in the water but here, powerless, he was more than a little worried.

"Ok, think." Rikki cast a quick look around to see if Bella and Cleo were back yet. No sign of them. She heard Will groan slightly and whipped her head back towards him.

Will was very slowly changing back to normal, his face screwed up as he transformed. Slower than normal, his fin shortened and turned back into two tanned legs. His clothes reappeared a second later.

Will let out a long sigh as he looked down at himself. He touched each leg in disbelief. "Am I normal again?"

"Looks like." Rikki said, bewildered. She checked the ground around them, but couldn't see anything wet that might have caused Will to change. "But what just happened?"

"Sorry that took so long!" Cleo laughed as she and Bella made their way back to the group. "That clumsy server totally spilled water all over Bella, we had to make a mermaid run to the bathroom..." She stopped talking. "What's Will doing on the floor?"

Rikki's head was spinning. "So..." She turned to Bella. "You just changed? A minute ago?"

"Yeah." Bella said, confused. "What's wrong?"

Rikki stood quickly. "The wish Will made. What exactly was it? How was it worded?"

"Um..." Bella tried to remember. "I'm not sure. It's written down at home."

"We need to get out of here now." Lewis guided Cleo quickly to the exit. The group quickly followed them.

The walk home was a long, tense one. No one spoke much as they walked into the girls' apartment. Rikki and Cleo dug through the papers on the counter, searching for the one with Will's wish written on it.

"Here it is." Cleo said triumphantly. "Will's wish reads... I wish to transform the way the mermaids do when they touch water." Cleo looked up at the rest of the group as she finished reading.

"That's it." Lewis said quietly. "I can't believe we didn't catch it."

"What?" Will said nervously. "It worked perfectly earlier. I changed when I touched water."

"Tell me this." Lewis paced, deep in thought. "When you jumped in the water earlier, did you jump as the same time as Bella?"

"Yes..." Will said slowly.

"Have you transformed at all without Bella? I mean, have you touched water and changed when she wasn't there?" Lewis continued pacing.

"No..." Will answered. "She's been with me, we were swimming together."

"Guys, look at the wish." Lewis took the paper from Cleo. "He hasn't wished to be a merman, he's wished to change the way you do _when you touch water._ It doesn't say anything about him changing at the touch of water, it says he'll change the way _you _do when _you _touch water."

"Lewis, I think that's reaching a little." Zane took the page from him skeptically.

"Do you have a better explanation?" Rikki asked him.

"Sorry, Cleo." Lewis hastily grabbed a bottle of water off the counter and tossed it over his girlfriend.

"Aw, Lewis..." Cleo groaned as she quickly sat down to keep from falling.

"Will, you should probably sit too, just in case..." Bella started to warn him, but she didn't get to finish the sentence.

Simultaneously, both Cleo and Will began to change. Will's change was slightly slower, but they definitely were changing together.

"Is he wet? Did any water touch him?" Lewis examined the new merman.

"Not that I can see." Zane admitted.

"Rikki, help Cleo dry off." Lewis instructed.

Usually, Rikki would have shot off some smart remark about Lewis not bossing her around, but she was so bewildered she immediately began to steam dry Cleo. After a few seconds Cleo was dried and began changing back into a human.

Will's change was slower, but there was no denying that they were connected. A few seconds later he was back to normal, oout of breath and panting on the floor.

"Crap." Was all Lewis could say.


End file.
